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Time of India

Summer rush trumps reserved tickets

1 2 Jaipur: Passengers with confirmed tickets are experiencing difficulties while travelling from Jaipur and other parts of Rajasthan due to overwhelming summer crowds. Although North Western Railway (NWR) introduced approximately 35 pairs of summer special trains, the measure appears insufficient to handle the surge. Furthermore, most trains are witnessing rapid ticket bookings, resulting in a waitlisted status for advance reservations. TOI on Saturday spoke to train passengers about their journey experiences during crowded summers and also to the NWR authorities to learn about their measures. "I travelled on the Malini Express from Delhi to Jaipur on Friday. I booked tickets in the sleeper class, and it was already overcrowded. I, along with my three family members, somehow reached inside the train. There were already some passengers sitting. After arguments, I managed to board my seat, but throughout the journey, people who had no reservation were standing and sitting," said Jitendra Maheshwari, who travelled to Jaipur from Delhi after completing a vacation at Kullu and Manali. Rail passengers said that despite booking berths in advance, throughout their journey, they are seeing passengers asking for some room to sit on their reserved berths. "The problematic route is Jaipur to Alwar, where people mostly get into the sleeper class and also in the third AC. I travelled to Jammu on the Puja Express to further go to Vaishno Devi with family last week, and the train was overcrowded," said Laxman Singh Shekhawat, a retired govt employee. On the other hand, NWR authorities said that presently 35 pairs of trains are operated to accommodate the summer rush. "We are operating 35 pairs of trains to various destinations, including Pune, Valsad, Mumbai, Mathura, Ahmedabad, Agra, Howrah, Haridwar, Udaipur, Ranchi, Mysore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Guwahati, and Prayagraj. Also, in many of the trains, we have added extra coaches. As far as passengers entering reserved coaches are concerned, we regularly tackle this issue by strict checking and surprise checks in the trains," said Captain Shashi Kiran, Chief Public Relations Officer, NWR. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nature Meets Science: This Spray Is Turning Heads in Ear Health Stop Tinnitus Now Learn More Undo Even then, trains are witnessing rapid bookings to various destinations. "I was searching for tickets to travel to Kathgodam to take my family to Nainital in June, but booking is showing a waiting list for the second AC class. I booked four tickets in the hope of getting them confirmed," said Amarjeet Singh, who works at an insurance company in Jaipur.